Withered Love (Jeff The Killer x Jane The Killer)
by Dreamy Loner
Summary: This is a story of Jeff and Jane before they turn into sadistic serial killers. Flashback of memories haunts her as Jane recalls how she met Jeff. Life was seemingly perfect when they first became neighbors and friends. Yet, a fatal prank that went wrong plunged the two into endless torment. As Jeff slaughtered her parents, Jane realized their love would never be the same again.
1. Prologue

***A/N* Gasp, I can't believe I'm writing this. I'm not sure who's gonna read this story. Anyway, I always wonder what if Jeff and Jane actually knew each other before he turned into a serial killer. They could be friends and classmates before he got bleached and burned and mentally scarred for life. I guess I would just try something new here.**

***Disclaimer* I don't own Jeff and Jane. They belong to their rightful owners.**

***Warning* There may be some gore and violence.**

* * *

I pried open my eyes and stared in terror at the boy before me. My hands were cuffed behind my back and my body ached in every joint. I sniffled and choked at the pungent odor. In vague consciousness, I watched Jeff stride towards me, his hands tugged into his pockets. A crooked grin which stretched from ear to ear crawled across his pallid face. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes as I waited for my doom. I wondered if this was yet another terrible nightmare I had due to anxiety disorder, but the essence of pain convinced me otherwise. Everything was real. _So damn real._ It was hard to accept the truth. He, whom I loved, had slaughtered my family, the ones I love most in this world. He murdered them one by one, right in front of my eyes. Ripped clothes. Distorted limbs. Engraved corpses. Splattered blood. They were all lying everywhere, all surrounding me.

I arched my back and struggled to break free. Of course, my attempt was futile. I was stuck. There was simply no way out. I wriggled my wrists only to feel blood gushing out from my wounds. He gawked at me, rather amazed by my persistence. He didn't budge though. He just stood there, ogling me with a devious smile. His shirt was soaked in blood. _My parents' blood._ The thought of losing them plunged me further into rage and despair. I squealed at the top of my lungs. Perhaps I, myself, was going insane too. This agony was too excruciating to bear. Taken aback by my sudden frantic screech, Jeff backed away a little, still retaining his loathsome smile.

"Jane, if you scream like that, you're going to lose your voice." He smirked.

I ignored him. I could feel my lunacy closing in. I hated him so much. I hated him to death. The mere sight of him disgusted me to a point I wished I could just scratch him and tear that skin off his disfigured, hideous face. Such idea indeed remained impossible. I was the hostage being captured here. I couldn't imagine but he had in store for me.

"W-Why…Why are you doing this to me?" I wailed, kicking my legs weakly.

"This is a good question." Jeff strutted towards me and squatted down. We were now facing each other. He reached out his hands to caress my face. I shook him off with disdain. No, I didn't want him to touch me or even lay a finger on one single strand of my hair.

"Jane, if I were you, I wouldn't resist so much." He sighed. I flinched as he leaned closer. Geez, his intimidating look scared the hell out of me. It was simply awful and unendurable. I couldn't help but glare at his pasty, leathery face. It was unsightly and nauseating. He had carved himself a permanent smile and burned his lids off, turning his eyes into two ghastly holes. His sparkling dark orbs seemed to be sucking my soul and penetrating every thought of mine. I supposed he already knew what I was thinking. He must have sensed my fear.

"You know what, I always thought you were different." He said calmly, stroking my hair. "But I guess I'm wrong."

"W-What do you mean?" I whimpered and cringed as he ran his fingers over my cheeks.

"And I thought you were my friend, but you're just like them." He mumbled. "You're looking at me the same way they do. You think I'm a monster, don't you? Do I look like an alien to you?"

"Huh?" I frowned, suddenly realizing what he was getting at. I shook my head in denial. "No…it's not like that…Jeff…"

"Your eyes betray your heart. You've never looked at me like this before, Jane. And I thought you would always stand by my side. I guess it's either me thinking too much or you're just the same as one of those assholes."

"Jeff, please, let me go…" I pleaded, sobbing.

"Beg and pray. That might help." Jeff chuckled. "You're still cute and all. I suppose someone like me is no match for you, eh? It's perfectly alright for you to hate my face. Even sometimes, I find myself hating it when I look into the mirror."

"Jeff, I didn't mean to...I was...Well...I..." I rambled, apparently freaking out.

"Sh…" He shushed me before I could continue. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned his head against my chest. "Jane, I can hear your heart beat. How wonderful it will be if I dig it out and crumple it."

"No…Jeff, don't do that…I'm sorry."

"It hurt a lot, you know, when you decided to tag along with others and run from me. I thought you would always be the one to stay behind but gosh, am I wrong. So wrong. I misjudged you. You're actually no better than any one of them, anyone who deserves death."

"Please…Jeff, don't kill me."

"I won't." He sniggered and planted a swift kiss on my forehead. "I would save the best for you, sweetheart."

He pulled away from me and started walking away.

"No, Jeff, don't go. Get me out of here, please." I winced.

"I'll be back in a minute, Jane." He slammed the door behind him with a sinister laugh.

Minutes passed and he never returned. I had no idea what was happening outside. I couldn't hear a single noise. I wondered if he was going to just leave me like this. It could be one of his tricks or perhaps he was planning for something else right now. _Something more wicked._ I hoped I could survive until the very end of his sadistic game. Even if I was to be killed, I hoped someone would arrest him and send him to jail. An asylum would be nice. He was sick in the head. _So sick._ He was never like this in the past though. I still couldn't fathom why he had changed so much. Why did he have to kill my parents? Why did he have to torture me? And I thought we were friends…

Millions of questions swarm my head. No matter how hard I tried to think, I could never seek the right answers. Slowly, I leaned back against the wall and let this madness subsume me. Before I realized it, I dozed off again.

* * *

**Um...This one is just a preface. Next will probably be the beginning of Jane's flashback, her memory of how she met Jeff and how he turned insane. Yeah, that'll be it. Review if you're reading this xD**


	2. First Encounter

***A/N* Well, thanks for the reviews! :D**

***Disclaimer* I do not own Jeffrey Woods, Liu Woods and Jane Arkensaw. They belong to their rightful owners. **

* * *

I met Jeff last summer. I still remembered the day the family moved in across the street. They attracted pretty much attention because we hardly got any newcomers in this neighborhood. I would say, this was a tedious place and everyone simply followed the same regularity every day. There was really nothing special going on around here. It was possibly a place where people would like to leave instead of moving in. I wasn't so thrilled about having a new neighbor at first. They could be a bunch of freaks for all I knew, just like most kids at my school.

"Jane, wake up." Mom woke me early in the morning, only to tell me how enthusiastic she was about meeting this new family. I, of course, had no time for all the bullshit she was throwing at me. I mean, gosh, it was only 7 am and man, I was having summer vacation. I usually slept until 12 during holidays.

I made an uncomfortable turn and buried my face into the blanket. Not catching the slightest hint of my behavior, she went to draw the curtains and let the light seep in. Now, that was really wicked. It always got me up. I snorted and sat upright, still yawning and rubbing my half-closed eyes.

"What the hell, mom." I grunted.

"I don't care for that language you're using, sweetheart." She said, hands on her hips. "Look, our new neighbors moved in yesterday and the least we can do is to greet them."

"Yea, right, the least I can to do is to go back to sleep now and join you in the afternoon." I rolled my eyes and lay back on my bed.

"No, you're getting up right now." She pulled off my blanket.

"Ugh." I groaned and leapt out of bed, why was she making such a fuss about some new stupid neighbors? Why did we have to greet them? Geez, and I thought there were enough people to welcome them already. They wouldn't miss us anyway.

Dad was already up reading newspapers. He was always up early even when he didn't have to work. He took a sip of coffee and smiled at me. I was more like a walking dead, to be sure. I could barely open my eyes properly. With my consciousness still drifting off into dreams, I gobbled down a grilled cheese and egg sandwich, a carton of milk and two greasy bacons.

"Get moving, Jane. We're going to drop by their house now." Mom said, picking up a box wrapped in shiny blue papers. Phew, did we really have to give them a gift as well?

"How about Dad?" I asked.

"You and Mom go. I'm staying here." He said.

"Look, Jane, after we're done, you can come back and continue sleeping."

"Fine." I pouted and followed Mom obediently. We strolled down the street and crossed a road, finally arriving at our neighbors' house. Undoubtedly, Mom was the one to ring the bell. I was still half-sleeping, in fact. Mom nudged me and gestured for me to look more energetic and earnest. I shrugged it off and made a grimace.

A young woman opened the door and immediately her mouth curved into an endearing smile. She was in her late thirties, I guessed, quite a charming woman, more like the classic type of housewife. She was wearing an apron and she looked rather stunned by our sudden appearance. I tugged Mom's sleeves. She looked at me disapprovingly.

"Hi." The woman spoke, still smiling.

"Hello, there, we live across the street. Welcome to the neighborhood." Mom said, handing her the gift.

"Why, thank you so much, er…"

"I'm Mrs. Arkensaw. This is Jane, my daughter."

I made a silly face and waved at her.

"She's adorable." The woman, whoever she was called, complimented.

"I'm Margaret Woods. Just call me Margaret."

Margaret invited us into the house. I really considered heading back home to sleep but I had no choice with Mom seizing my hand. I had to tag along with her. We settled down on the couch. Automatically, I scanned through the living room. They were still half-way through the decoration and renovation. Some unpacked boxes were piling up in one corner and the entire place smelled of dust.

"Sorry about this mess." Margaret apologized and put a tray of tea and biscuits on the table.

"It's okay. If you need anything, just call us." Mom said.

"My husband is out for work but really, I also want to thank you on behalf of him. It's a really nice place, isn't it?"

And then they went on talking for what seemed like eternity. _Blah blah blah…_ I didn't even bother to listen to them. The adults' talk always bored me to death. I flopped back on the couch and cupped my chin, trying to figure out what to do besides falling asleep. Mom would definitely be mad if I slept in someone else's house. She always emphasized manner and courteousness, like I should keep myself interested even when something didn't appeal to me. I had to remain polite in front of someone that bugged me.

A couple of minutes later, Margaret must have noticed I was jaded.

"Well, it seems that we're forgetting Jane's here." She giggled.

"That's alright. This girl is difficult at times." Mom said. I glared at her.

"Oh, Jane, why don't you meet my sons? You can play with them while I talk with your mom."

Margaret proceeded to dash upstairs. I heard some knocking and chattering noise. I sat in silence and waited until she returned with two figures behind her. That's the first time I met the two brothers. I took a glimpse of them and sure enough, I could tell they were as sleepy as me. _Damn, do mothers always like waking up their children?_

"Here, boys, come and greet our neighbors." Margaret shoved the two forwards. I blinked blankly at them. They were about the same age as me. One was wearing a white hoodie and black skinny jeans. The other one was wearing a grey sweater and denim pants. Both of them had brown hair and hazel eyes. I wondered who was older.

"Go on and introduce yourself." Margaret urged. "Tell Mrs. Arkensaw who you are."

"Um…hi, I'm Liu." The one on the left, who in my opinion looked far friendlier, spoke first. He had this bright smile on his face, the kind that could please many adults.

"I'm Jeff." His brother snuggled behind his back and muttered. He, like me, was not a bit interested. He kept his eyes fixated on the ground and his hands jammed tightly into his pockets. He didn't even look up and make eye-contact with us.

"Jeff, do you expect people to hear you with that voice?" Margaret grumbled.

Jeff sighed and didn't respond. There was an awkward silence.

"It's okay. Lovely boys you have." Mom said. _Oh my God, how could she lie like that?_ I almost laughed at her remark.

"Okay, sons, I want you to meet Jane. Oh wait, how old are you, Jane?"

"Fourteen." I said. At that time, I had just passed my birthday.

"Really. They're no older than you. I suppose you can get along with each other and please, help them if possible. They aren't very, you know, active and all. It's always hard to start school again in a new place."

Like the hell I was really going to interact with them. Well, the one called Liu looked fine to me. He was actually quite handsome but Jeff was sort of creepy. All this time, he didn't even look at me. It's not like I wanted to meet his eyes either.

_Damn adults._ They got us out of the house so that they could continue their conversation. Now, that was really embarrassing. I was stuck in the backyard with two eccentric freaks. I thought of running home but that would seem rather rude. We stood there for a moment before Jeff wandered off to sit under the tree. He shut his eyes and began to sleep.

"Well…um…he's like that." Liu said with a faint smile.

Like I really cared. I was planning to take a nap under the shades too but he just stole my spot. Anyway, this was not my backyard so I had no right to complain about it.

"Er…" Liu started fidgeting nervously. I frowned. _Man, did he ever talk to girls?_ "Nice to meet you, Jane."

"You too, Liu." I said swiftly.

"So, how is this neighborhood like?" Liu asked, kicking the ground.

"Like a hell."

"Pardon?" He raised his brows, puzzled. I snickered. "I mean, boring."

"Oh…I see. You don't have much to do, eh?"

"Not really. It's holiday, you know."

"How about your homework?"

"Done." To be frank, I never left things till the end. I finished all my schoolwork the very first week of my vacation. I should regret it because now I had nothing better to do.

"Cool. I wish I could have that efficiency." Liu laughed softly. I didn't see any how funny it was, but again I wouldn't blame him. He looked like he had never communicated with a girl before. _What a jerk._

"Why did you guys move in here?" I inquired.

"Oh, Dad's got a promotion at work. So yeah, he and Mom thought we could move to one of these 'fancy' neighborhoods."

Now that was hilarious. As far as I knew, this wasn't a fancy neighborhood whatsoever. If they knew what they were getting themselves into, they wouldn't really think it was a wise choice coming here.

"Let me be honest with you, Liu. This isn't a fascinating place. If I were you, I wouldn't look forward to living here." I said grimly. Liu glanced at me curiously, apparently thinking it was a joke. It wasn't. For the past fourteen years, I really got nowhere in life besides going to school and complying with rules. If I got any chance, I would absolutely start something new. _Something far more exciting. Something more worth living for._

"You're strange, Jane." Liu finally said. "But cute."

What? Was that supposed to be praise or sarcasm? I didn't expect I would blush. I mean, let's face it, everyone who met me agreed I was cute. And yes, I was damn proud of my looks. You can either say I was an arrogant piece of trash or a conceited, vain bitch. I didn't mind. I wouldn't care.

"Don't lie like that, Liu."

We all turned around abruptly and gazed at Jeff. He still had his eyes closed.

"What do you mean, Jeff?" Liu interrogated.

Jeff opened his eyes and got up to his feet. He sauntered towards us with a smirk on his face.

"Liu, don't call someone cute when she isn't." Jeff said. Those words hit me like a bomb. _How dare he said that!_ I ogled him indignantly.

"I know what you're thinking. You're one of those who think you're the best and nothing really gets your interest besides yourself." Jeff sneered. "Ain't I right?"

"What? Is this a joke?" I scowled at Jeff.

"Jeff, stop it." Liu came between us and smiled at me. "Sorry, Jane, he can be mean sometimes when he is around unfamiliar people."

"I'm just telling the truth." Jeff said. "I mean, I can tell from your face you don't like us but it's not like we care about it. Either way, we'll make the best of this neighborhood in our own way."

"Shut up." I said, enraged. No one had ever talked to me this way. It wasn't literally counted as an insult but I took it as a provocative declaration. I glowered at Jeff who simply grinned at me as if it was no big deal. _Was he enjoying my anger?_

"Which one of you is older?" I asked.

"Does that matter?" Jeff laughed.

"He, he is older." Liu answered.

"I should've known." I mumbled.

"Now I'll call that cute." Jeff mocked. "You look cute when you're angry."

I gritted my teeth and gasped. Liu gave me a reassuring smile. Obviously, he didn't know what to do about his sibling.

I swung my hands and began to trot away.

"Jane?" Liu called out.

"Hey, I was just kidding." I heard Jeff say but I didn't look back at them. I didn't feel like speaking to these two jerks anymore.

I stomped across the street and got back home. I didn't care if Mom would be mad at me. I just couldn't spend another second facing that insolent, cheeky, freaky Jeff.

Ugh, "nice neighbors" you said, Mom. _A really nice one!_


	3. A New Interest

***A/N* Well, thanks for reading! I don't know people will like this! xD Please review and tell me what you think :D**

***Disclaimer* I do not own the characters. They belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

After my first foul encounter with Jeff, I didn't really talk to the two brothers again, not until about a week later. Mom was furious when she knew I basically headed home that day without acknowledging her. It's not that I really cared when she scolded me like shit. It wasn't my fault either. If those two hadn't been such a brat, I wouldn't have run away. Soon, the neighborhood ceased fussing about having newcomers. Life returned to normal again, just as dull and dry as it usually had been. Whenever Mom went to chat with Margaret, I would just stay home. She did ask me once or twice to go along with her but I rejected. I didn't make it explicit to her that I detested Jeff after his rude remarks. Mom would definitely say I was being childish and all. I just didn't want to see the two boys so I was not going to the Woods again.

Fate simply wouldn't leave things the way I wanted them to be. I bumped into Jeff later in the grocery store. I spotted him first. Needless to say, I pretended I hadn't seen him. I was running errands for Mom that day. Yeah, I figured out I might go to the market for some fresh air. Locking myself up in my room playing video games just wasn't the best option. I felt like wasting my whole holiday on meaningless stuff. Things got pretty tiresome when you repeated the same routine every single day. I was actually expecting something more fabulous but all my friends were travelling abroad with their family. I had no one to hang around with.

I pushed the trolley and sneaked behind one of those shelves. Darn, I didn't want Jeff to see me. He was in the drink section. I slunk into the snack section. It was empty and that would mean only one thing. I smiled cunningly and ambled along the corridor, gingerly observing the environment. Swiftly, I grabbed a couple of chocolate bars and slipped them into my pocket. Now, that's what I would call fun. All the excitement fueled me with energy. I forgot how long I had been hooked on this but stealing always gave me a sense of what you might call as pleasure and fulfillment. Of course, I only did it when nobody was around. I wasn't really at all afraid of getting caught. I knew I could always defend myself and act like an innocent child. In fact, I got caught once when I was nine or something. I dealt with it so well that the shopkeeper didn't actually call the cops. She told my parents indeed. I got grounded for a few weeks but that wasn't enough to make me abstain from this habit. I enjoyed the feeling of stealing whatever I wanted. I wouldn't steal much because I didn't want people to get suspicious. The last thing I needed was those fools finding out they constantly lost a few of their merchandises.

"So, is this your interest?"

I almost jumped in fear. I was midway through gripping a pack of candy when I felt someone shuffling behind me. Shit…someone actually caught me! I panicked and turned around, only to meet a familiar face that got on my nerves. Jeff stood there with a devilish smirk, looking as though he was going to wreck my whole life.

"J-Jeff?" I stuttered, completely shocked. Was he going to tell on me? If so, I would be so dead.

"Hi, Jane, nice hobby you have." He said sarcastically. I began to tremble in fear. Hastily, I put my loot back onto the shelf and stared at the ground. I could feel his eyes on me.

"No, you can keep them. I ain't gonna tell on you anyway." Jeff scoffed. "You're lucky it was only me passing by."

I nodded anxiously. I flinched as Jeff stepped forwards.

"What's wrong? I don't bite." He teased.

"I gotta go." I mumbled and scooted away as fast as possible. I even forgot all about running errands for Mom. I darted out of the store and was about to cross the road when I heard a honking sound. I turned to the left only to see a truck approaching me at full speed. The driver attempted a brake, the creaking noise piercing my ears. I squealed and tried to move but all I could do was to shiver in sheer fright. A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and hauled me back to the sidewalk. I watched the enormous vehicle pass right in front of my eyes, my face close to smashing onto it. At that exact moment, my mind went blank. I could only gawk at the street with my hollow eyes. My heart was thumping rapidly, sweat dribbling down my forehead. I collapsed to the ground and puffed heavily. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. I was…almost hit by a truck.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I perked up, my body still quivering. Jeff offered me his hand. I took it and stood up. I was tongue-tied, completely lost in words. The previous horrifying scene roamed my head.

"Jane, are you alright?" Jeff repeated, looking at me full of concern. I could barely nod. Before I realized it, I was almost on the verge of tears.

"Here." Jeff handed me a handkerchief to wipe my tears. It took me a minute to revive my senses. I was close to an emotional breakdown. I never thought death would be so petrifying. Everything just happened in a blink of an eye. If Jeff hadn't come out and saved me in time, I could have been run over by the truck and torn into pieces.

"Jane, I'll walk you home, okay?"

I didn't answer but I let him accompany me. We dawdled down the street in silence. I knew I should probably thank him for saving my life. Yet, I couldn't blurt out those grateful words. I peeked at Jeff. As usual, he kept glancing down at the ground. His face was emotionless. In fact, I could hardly see his eyes from this angle because his flippy bangs covered them. He must have felt my stare because he turned to ogle me. Reflexively, I looked away. I wasn't sure what I was thinking but his gaze made me feel queer. It was uncomfortable to have him beside me.

"Jane, sorry about the other day." Jeff piped up. "I didn't mean to be rude on purpose. I was just teasing you."

"It's okay." I said. "I…wasn't being very nice either."

It's not like I was really mad at him or what. It would be irrational to be angry with Jeff when he had basically just saved my life.

"And I think you've forgotten this." Jeff rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar, hurling it at me. I widened my eyes incredulously.

"H-How…?"

"Well, I'll just say we both have something in common." He snickered. Immediately, I took his hint. So, he was also into this stuff, huh?

"But I'll say, Jane, you need more practice on this." Jeff said. "You can easily get caught."

"So, you're a professional one?" I raised my brows and simpered.

"I won't call myself a professional one. I only do it when there's something I absolutely need." Jeff replied. "How long have you been doing this?"

"I…don't know." I pondered for a moment. "Maybe 5 or 6 years."

"Oh, cool." Jeff said.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"You really think it's cool?" I asked curiously. There was something mysterious about his eyes. Those orbs glittered like stars. It's only then I noticed how beautiful he was. Yea, he was eerie but I couldn't deny he was hot as hell.

"Yea. And I thought you were a goody-goody." He laughed quietly.

"No, I'm not." I smiled. "Do I look like one?"

"Sort of."

"How?"

"Well, like you really listen to your mom and you don't look like the type that goes clubbing, drinking and all."

"That's just because I can't. It doesn't mean I don't want to do those things." I stated.

"No wonder you think life is boring."

"And it's not like your parents allow you to drink either."

"No, but I don't think they can stop me when I get into high school."

"You're damn right."

We kept on chatting until we reached home. I must admit I had totally underestimated Jeff. I thought he was a freak like other boys at school but no, he wasn't. There was something more in this guy that somehow aroused my interest. He was…so intriguing. It's like all these years he had been doing a pretty good job hiding all his true inner characters. I never expected him to be bold and outspoken either. He seldom hesitated when he spoke. He simply said whatever that came into his mind. Sometimes, of course, he would throw rude and ironic remarks at me. Oddly, I didn't feel annoyed by this anymore. Perhaps I just knew this is the way he is.

"So, see you around, Jane." We halted in front of my house.

"Sure." I chuckled.

He waved me goodbye and jogged back to his house. If you ask me, I would say that's the day our friendship officially began.

* * *

"Well, I saw you with Jeff yesterday. Getting on well with each other, huh?" Mom giggled the next morning. I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my pancakes.

"I heard from Margaret that he's a bit anti-social. It's always nice to befriend him." Mom sat down across the table and smirked.

"Whatever." I muttered.

"Hey, I've got something to do in the charity shop this afternoon. Maybe you can go play with Jeff and Liu?"

"Why? Can't I just stay home?"

"Honey, I don't like you staying indoors every day. The next thing you know you're gonna rot and get molded."

"Fine."

So, I went to find the Woods after breakfast. Margaret seemed elated to see me, though I barely had any interaction with her. She invited me in almost instantly and got me lots of snacks. It's like she couldn't be more joyous to know someone was willing to hang out with her sons. The house looked much more refined than before. I could tell the family put much effort in furnishing it. It seemed that they were determined to make this their permanent, sweet home.

"Jeff, Liu, come down at once! Jane's here." Margaret yelled and then looked back at me. "Jane, I'll be out to the town later. I want you to keep those boys occupied. I don't like them playing some sort of violent video games when they're left alone at home."

"Really." I frowned. Funny she should say that. I guessed I knew what I could do with Jeff and Liu.

When Margaret left the house, I exchanged a grimace with the boys.

"So, what's this game you guys are playing?" I asked.

"Wanna try?" Jeff snickered.

"Why not?"

Let's say, I really didn't see it coming. I never thought Jeff and Liu were into this kind of things. Well, Liu wasn't really that keen on horror stuff. Most of the time, he was just influenced and dragged along by his brother. Jeff showed me his collection of games and I simply couldn't believe my luck. Mom totally forbade me to buy this type of video games, though occasionally I would sneak into a shop and steal one or two secretly. I forgot the precise time I started getting addicted to violent games. I just didn't feel comfortable with the games most girls played these days. Those things like Cooking Mary, Farm Village and Pet Shop really pissed me off. I mean, seriously, how can you call trying to plant some flowers and shower some pets on the internet fun? Man, it's ridiculous and childish.

"I didn't know you like gore." Jeff sneered.

"Why, I love it." I laughed.

"You're really different from other girls." He remarked.

"You can say that again."

We squatted down and played for a long time. I couldn't be more gleeful. Realizing Jeff possessed such a fabulous collection, I could only wonder how much time it would take me to finish them off. There was also one thing about Jeff that caught my attention. He got much brighter when he was playing one of these creepy games. He actually smiled naturally whenever he hit the buttons and shot the characters full of holes. Okay, it was somewhat ghastly but who cares? I had finally found something to kill my boring days in this holiday! Yay, I was going to spend each day playing these fascinating video games with Jeff and Liu. Wonderful!

"Damn." I cursed and tossed the controller away. I always threw a tantrum when I lost consecutively. I just felt jealous of Jeff. He was so…talented. He almost won in every game and he could tackle all the levels in a flash. Well, at least, I was better than Liu. Very often, he didn't even know where he was going in his game. He kept mistaking his own teammates for enemies and accidentally killing them. It didn't surprise me when he lost in almost all the trials.

"What?" Jeff taunted when he saw me sulk.

"That's too harsh." I grumbled. "I mean, shouldn't you let the lady win at least once?"

"You're funny, Jane. I thought you like to play fair."

"Don't tell me to play equal when you've beaten me 100 times." I pouted.

"Okay, sorry, I'll let you win this time, satisfied?" Jeff sniggered.

"Guys…can you two not forget about me?" Liu butted in. "I'm getting killed here…"

We both laughed and went to help Liu. Geez, he was just pathetic! He only got less than 10% of lifespan.

"Let me take over." Jeff offered and in no time, he slaughtered all the enemies and basically made Liu's character resurrect.

"Wow…" I saw Liu's eyes glimmer with delight. I could tell he was deeply impressed by his brother. The way his orbs glinted with admiration, I just knew how Liu adored Jeff, though it sounds rather silly because we were merely playing video games. When Liu saw me looking at him, he smiled proudly. "Jeff always knows how to bring things back to life, heheee."

"Really?" I tittered. "Like even if it's dead?"

"Not entirely dead." Jeff said, still goggling at the screen with full concentration. "Even if there's only one breath left, I can still beat the shit out of these craps."

"Say, you're just relentless." I mocked.

"Yea, is that a problem?" Jeff smiled slyly.

"Nope." I smiled back.

"Here you go. Don't kill yourself again." Jeff handed the controller back to Liu who looked so grateful that his brother had helped fix his problems.

"So, back to our game." Jeff chortled and strayed closer to me. "Ready?"

"Can't be more ready."


	4. Vile Games

***A/N* Hey guys, sorry to update this late. I'll get back to this story as soon as possible Thanks again for reading and following it! Reviews highly appreciated :D Tell me what you think about this chapter =3=**

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I spent the next couple of days playing video games with Jeff and Liu. Mr. and Mrs. Woods usually left home for work early in the morning so right after I finished my breakfast, I would go over to their house. Jeff would lead me to his precious collection of games. We played endlessly. We got so addicted that sometimes we even forgot about lunch. When we didn't hook up with some creepy, violent video games, we would watch horror movies. Jeff had this craze for suspense and mystery genres. Most of the films we picked were bloody as hell, probably not for teens of our age. Liu wasn't so fond of scary stuff. He would always snuggle up behind Jeff whenever a killing scene came on screen. Honestly, I had so much fun with these brothers. They were…just different. Especially Jeff, he was more mature than I thought. He likes things that no one else would even lay an eye on. Oddly, we actually shared many common interests. You can say we were both potential violence addicts. For some reason, we were so obsessed with thriller and gore.

Still, there was a risk playing video games in the living room. We got caught one day by Jeff's mom. We usually played until dusk but that day, she had an early shift and returned home before we could tidy up everything. Clearly, it hit her like a bomb to walk into the house seeing us playing some ghastly, disturbing video games. Her mouth gaped open when she saw all those bloody graphic illustrations. She was so mad that she snatched the controller from Jeff and tossed it away. Liu cringed immediately in guilt. Jeff didn't respond at all. I was there the whole time when Margaret kept scolding her boys. From what I gathered, it seemed that she was utterly disgusted by this kind of things. She thought it's revolting, mind-twisting and horrendous. She was beyond furious to discover that Jeff had been secretly buying these nasty games on his own. She accused him of dragging Liu and me along. Well…I wanted to defend Jeff but I didn't deem it was a good idea. I never expected Margaret would go berserk and explode in rage. For a second, I even feared if she might criticize me as well.

Fortunately, she didn't tell my mom. She didn't think it was my fault either. She cast all the blame on Jeff. Liu was crying after being yelled at. Jeff, however, remained expressionless even when Margaret dumped all his games into the trash bin. I gasped, shaking my head in dismay. Damn, all those wonderful treasures were lying with other garbage. _What a waste._

"Jane, I thought I told you to keep them occupied and away from these things." Margaret said sternly. I was completely lost in words. So she was suggesting it was my responsibility to watch over her boys?

"Sorry, but don't ever do this again, Jane. These games aren't appropriate for you all. You can always find something better to do to kill time, right?"

"I guess so." I replied, giving her a slight nod.

So, there went Jeff's collection. Down into the rubbish bin. Perhaps if he hadn't shown it to me, nothing like this would have happened. He might be still hiding it under his bed or somewhere Margaret had no reach of. Seriously, I felt bad for Jeff. I didn't know how much he had spent on those games but there were some I really liked. _Ugh, what a pity…_

Without video games, I wasn't sure what I could do to deal with my boring holiday. I stayed at home for two days before Jeff came up to my house one morning. I was surprised because I knew he was still in a pretty bad mood losing all his beloved video games. When I texted him after Margaret shouted at us that night, he didn't even bother to reply me. I thought he was angry or something. Not that I really cared. Anyway, he was standing on the porch, hands in his pockets as usual. Sometimes, I wondered what he was hiding inside those pockets.

"Hi, Jane." He said.

"Hi."

"Wanna do something fun?" He asked.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything you want."

"Where's Liu?" I inquired, noticing that Jeff was alone.

"Um… Liu got sent by Mom to some stupid reading club across the street. It's organized by some playgroups, I think. She said it's time we're doing something more…educational."

"Oh, I thought those are for kids."

"Well, they have a senior group actually." Jeff laughed.

"And why aren't you with Liu?"

"Because I got away." Jeff confessed. "You can't imagine me sitting with a bunch of nerds reading some silly books, right? Liu is just different. He likes reading. He always listens to Mom."

"Nah, that's worse than going to school." I tittered. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Do you want to show me around the city?" Jeff suggested. "I still haven't got all the view yet."

"Sure, why not?"

We took a shuttle bus and traveled down to city centre. There was basically nothing much to do there but with Jeff, I believed we could figure out something. We were sitting together on the vehicle and it was completely awkward with neither of us speaking. I could tell Jeff was still angry at Margaret to some extent. His face showed all his sentiments. I must say, he was creepy when he was temperamental. He wouldn't talk much and I didn't dare start any speech. I doubted if he would even listen to me. Eventually, it was him who broke off the silence first.

"So, is there anything in particular that you wanna do in the city?" He asked.

"Not really…" I mumbled. "You can decide what we do."

"Okay." Jeff smiled, which somewhat reassured me a little. At least, I didn't have to see him pulling a grim face all the time. It was just horrible.

It took us half an hour to reach our destination. I showed Jeff some routes and short-cuts in the city. We wandered about in some stores before he suggested going to the mall.

"Hey, Jane, do you want to get some free lunch?" Jeff suddenly stopped and said.

"What?"

He grinned slyly and eyed the supermarket. Immediately, I felt myself fueled with energy. Darn, this boy was marvelous. I knew what he wanted. So, he thought we could do some stealing fun eh? _Interesting._

"But there're too many people inside." I analyzed.

"Exactly." Jeff chuckled. "It's far too crowded for anyone to notice what we're doing."

"Wow." I really couldn't grasp Jeff's logic. Sometimes, he would come up with the most bizarre idea that I had ever heard. There was something going on in his mind, which none of us could comprehend. He had his own thoughts, his plans and his talents.

We squeezed through the crowd, prancing into the store. We explored every single corner, scanning through whatever that appealed to us. Jeff actually stopped to stare at some kitchen utensils. He was…wow, he was looking for knives?

"Hey, Jane, look, this butcher's knife looks almost identical to the one in our video games." He giggled, his fingers tracing around the sharp, glittering blade.

"Hmm…if I were you, I wouldn't touch that." I said. "It can cut you easily."

Jeff laughed, apparently teasing my cowardice. "Yea, you're right. A carving knife suits you better."

"Damn, we aren't here for knives, are we? Plus, you mom dumped all your video games."

At once, I regretted what I had said. Jeff's expression changed drastically. He was by all means still pissed off.

"Sorry about that." I cooed.

"It's okay." He put back the knife onto the shelf and tugged his hands into his pockets. "We'll have fun doing some other things." He grinned.

"Are you gonna cover for me?" I asked because I was planning to steal some snacks. I reckoned Jeff might be able to help me out. After all, it was his idea in the first place, to come to the supermarket and grab our own lunch.

"Why not?" He smirked, clutching my wrist. I shivered at his touch. It was the first time we ever had any physical contact. To be honest, we always stayed at least a few inches away from each other. I didn't know why but my heart was pounding fast. I hadn't been holding hands with a guy for a while.

We lurked about the snack section. Jeff kept his eyes on the environment while I was doing my deeds. I grasped a few packs of crisps and biscuits, slipping them into my bag flexibly. I proceeded to steal a couple of chocolate bars and sweets, cautiously hiding them in my pockets. Jeff was standing right next to me. He too, snatched something for himself. I must say, he was really skillful. The way he took things in a split second convinced me he had been doing this for some time. He did have quite sufficient practice on that. Strangely, I enjoyed the time we spent in the supermarket very much. It's almost like a dream come true. I had never thought I would find someone ever so compatible with me. Gosh, I had found a friend who shared the same hobby! What a miracle!

When we left the store with our fully occupied backpacks, we were smiling triumphantly. I couldn't believe a huge supermarket like this didn't even install any security systems. There were no cameras either. Man, it's just pathetic! It made me want to come back for more.

We trotted out of the mall. By then, our stomachs were growling.

"So, what now?" Jeff asked with a crooked grin.

"Let me think." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. A second later, I snapped my fingers, finally realizing the best thing we could do. "I've got a fabulous idea. Why don't we venture into that old, abandoned theme park? We can have our lunch there."

"Can we really do that?" Jeff cocked his brows suspiciously.

"Well, we can sneak in, can't we?" I snickered. So, off we went.

The theme park got closed down a year ago. Allegedly, the corporation running it had gone bankrupt. The park was left deserted until now. The government was going to take it down and retrieved the land but obviously, their efficiency was low as hell.

We crept into the park. Luckily, the gate wasn't locked so we slunk in without much difficulty. I knew there was a security guard watching the place but I could care less. I dragged Jeff across the open space. Most of the constructions had been left where they used to stand. I spotted the haunted house, the game booths, the roller coaster and the Ferris Wheel. I remembered visiting the place with my friends. We had had so much blast here in the past.

"Well?" Jeff murmured, gazing around inquisitively. "It's so…quiet here. I like it!"

I didn't expect he would pull a thrilled, ecstatic face. He seemed fascinated by my choice of location. Looking at the ditched architectures, he smiled gleefully. We got onto the Pirate's Ship and started unpacking our bags. We had everything we needed. We counted the amount of our loot. Surprisingly, it went out of prediction. We had actually stolen quite a number of things.

I began to chew on my food. Jeff laughed when he saw the first thing I munched was a chocolate bar.

"So, you like chocolate that much? You can't only have that for lunch." Jeff taunted.

"Yea, is there a problem? We never have enough snacks at home. Mom's so keen on healthy diet." I rolled my eyes.

"Haha, now you can always have it whenever you want." He sneered.

"Really? Does that mean you'll do this often with me?"

"Jane, do you feel more secure when I'm with you?"

Taken aback by his words, I blushed automatically. He always had this peculiar ability of embarrassing someone with such bold speech. Sometimes, I really didn't know how to respond properly to his question. His corrupted, arrogant mind must be laughing at this instant, knowing that I depended on him that much. Surely, I felt more secure with him covering for me. Yet, I couldn't let my pride down. Ugh, I didn't want to surrender to this conceited guy.

"Why would you say that?" I crossed my arms. "I can always manage on my own."

"Really?" Jeff said with a playful, skeptical tone. He leaned closer to me. I could feel my cheeks burning with flame with this intimacy. I had never really taken a detailed look of his face. Geez, he was absolutely attractive. Those deep orbs of his never failed to send chills down my spine. They pierced my thoughts just by a simple glance. Immediately, he knew what I was thinking. He always did. Conversely, I could hardly get a handful of his own thoughts. I was still struggling to understand this mystifying boy.

"Anyway, I really enjoyed it back there." Jeff said, taking a sip of his coke. "It's always fun to hang out with you, Jane."

I was surprised that he, too, enjoyed what we did in the supermarket. I flushed again, quite amused by his candid confession.

"Jeff, did you have many friends back then?" I asked. "I mean, before you came here."

"Not exactly." He said indifferently. "One or two I guess. We pretty much lost contact after I moved in here."

"That sucks."

"Yea. It doesn't matter anyway." Jeff scoffed. "I can always make friends when I feel like to. I don't really get along with everyone. Some people are just…a bit annoying."

"Oh? Am I one of those?" I asked jokingly. He turned around and ogled me. I gulped at his somber expression. He paused for a long moment before shaking his head. "No, you're not. You're strange but…cool."

"Strange? Damn it, how can you call me strange when you're the odd one here?" I mocked.

"Meh, you're really mean, Jane. Do you even have a boyfriend?"

"What?" I ceased laughing and squinted.

"If you have one, I really don't know what to say." Jeff teased. "I'm gonna pity him. What a poor brat."

"Er…dare you say it again!" I pretended to get angry and clenched my fists, ready to punch him. He caught my wrists and laughed. "It's just a joke, okay? And with that rudeness of yours, you're never going to find one I'm sure."

"Damn you. You're a weirdo, you know that?" I pouted with dissatisfaction. "It's not like you have a girlfriend either, idiot."

"Well, at least, I didn't ask for one." Jeff shrugged. I gave him a playful punch.

"Hey, you kids up there, get down at once!" A hoarse voice barked, interrupting our chat. We turned our heads abruptly, gaping at a middle-aged, uniformed old man standing on the ground. "ENTRY IS FORBIDDEN HERE! CAN'T YOU SEE THE SIGN OUTSIDE THE GATE?"

"Oh crap, we're discovered!" Quickly, I gathered my things and heaved the bag onto my shoulder, leaping out of the Pirate's Ship.

"Oii, hey, wait up!"

I sprinted away as fast as I could, not even caring about Jeff. I was laughing all the way through. I could already picture Jeff's face when he knew I was fleeing and leaving him behind. It must be hilarious to watch.

I left the park successfully. Jeff was puffing when he caught up with me. So, he didn't get caught! _What a fast runner he is._

"Screw you, Jane, screw you!" He cursed, still gasping for air. We leaned against the wall, both exhausted from the running. "You left me there!"

"Hey, the situation was too urgent to think sensibly. You know that?" I tittered.

"And I thought we are friends."

"We are." I asserted, though it might sound absurd now because I had just sort of backstabbed him. Haha.

"Ugh, you're one heartless chick." He accused me mercilessly. I raised my brows. "Oh, yea, am I?"

"You want me to get caught, right? Is that what you want?" He interrogated. I couldn't understand why he was making such a fuss out of blue. Was he really that scared of being caught? I thought he was, just like me, another shameless delinquent.

"I'm sorry, okay? I won't leave you behind again." I said. It's totally not my personality to apologize but the grimace Jeff was making suggested that he was throwing a tantrum. Over such a minor issue!

"You're so wicked, Jane." He simpered and started walking off.

"Hey, I take that as an insult!" I yelped, following closely behind him.

"Whatever." He jeered at me. It's funny how his mood fluctuated. A minute ago he was sulking because I abandoned him. Now he was smiling the biggest smile ever. "So, what do we do next?"

"I don't know." I patted on his shoulder. "Why don't you decide this time?"

"If I decide it, I'm not sure you're gonna like it." He said.

"Try me."

He laughed. Damn, his laughter was really…endearing. _So mesmerizing._ Though it was a bit cunning.

"Let's keep it a secret before we reach there."

"Oh? So we're going to a unique place?"

He nodded and took my hand.

"Where is it? Is it fun?"

"Must be better than getting caught by some stupid security guard." He said, clearly implying that he would definitely choose a place better than the theme park. Geez, I wouldn't admit my defeat here. Not quite yet.

"Wait until you see it." He said confidently.

"Sure, I can't wait." I bit my lips slyly.


	5. One Hellish Paradise

***A/N* Sorry, guys. I know I haven't been updating this story for a while. My apology here to have kept you all waiting. Anyway, here is the new chapter! Enjoy and review :3 Tell me what you think about it :P**

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Jeff never failed to surprise me. This special destination he brought me to turned out to be none other than a Game Center. A splendid one. I had no clue how Jeff actually found out the existence of this place. I hardly spotted him going into the town. Anyway, it doesn't matter to me. As long as we had a blast, I was happy with his choice of entertainment.

We entered the Game Center in no time. All the previous video games we used to play together seemed far too ordinary compared to this. I supposed Jeff always had his way of doing things. Even after Margaret dumbed all his games back at home, he was still able to search for other means to do the same thing.

"Come on, Jane, let's try this one." Jeff chuckled, dragging me to one of these gigantic game machines. We just happened to have some coins and for nearly the rest of the day, we stayed in the Game Center. We tried out different things, different themes, different types of gore and violence. I couldn't deny I had a fabulous time there with Jeff. I had never felt so…carefree before. With him, it seemed that I could readily do anything at any time. I didn't even have to worry about a single thing. I didn't…have to be alone. He kept amazing me with tons of surprises. When we were finally done with the games, he took me to a local bar for some drink. I was shocked because I thought we weren't allowed to creep into a place like this at our age. Nonetheless, this is Jeff we are talking about. He, again, had his treacherous method to break through any kind of rules.

"I thought you can't drink." I said, as I remembered how strict Margaret was to her son. Jeff probably had no opportunity to drink any liquor.

"Do you mean I'm not permitted to drink or I'm a bad drinker?" Jeff snickered.

"Both." I laughed casually. He took my hand and we sneaked into the bar without hesitation.

"Jane, we're out here, on our own. We can do whatever we want. There's no one to talk at us. No one to stop us. No one to control what we do." Jeff said.

It was then I realized Jeff hated being constrained in his life. He hated everything that forced him to comply with certain rules. Any convention and norms simply didn't apply to him. And yet, this wild side of his was something new. I had never foreseen this part of his personality. He was always so silent and apathetic. For once, I had even doubted if he was some otaku or layabout when I first met him.

"I only do this with you, to be honest." Jeff said while taking a sip of his drink. "If I were on my own, I don't think I would even go this far."

"Really?" I widened my eyes. We were in some disco bar and the noise completely filtered out my voice.

"Yea." Jeff smirked. "It will do with a change, right? For some reason, I feel less concerned when you're here. I just don't care what might happen as long as I can do something I like. Something interesting and worthwhile."

Well, he spoke the truth. That's also what I had in mind. Hanging out with him was always appealing to me. It somehow filled the gap deep in my heart. I had never really had so much fun before this boy ever arrived here. There were lots of things I would like to try out but I was too wimpy to do any of them. I was pretty much a coward. I couldn't stop fidgeting when I was stealing either. But now, with Jeff right beside me, it's like I could embrace the entire world. Wonderful things came rushing towards me, brightening every single living day of mine. That's also when I started to like Jeff more. It's always hard to find a friend that could understand all my wants. He, however, was always able to grasp every little thing I craved for. Even the tiniest bit couldn't get through his careful eyes. When he said we were like soulmates, I was bemused. He was right though. At some point, our souls did connect with each other. We shared the same thoughts. Both of us wished we could be freed from this life we were having. We would like to flee from the boring regularity and be something much more tasteful…Unique as well.

When we got out of the bar, it was pitch-dark outside. I was almost certain Mom would go berserk when she caught me going home late. I didn't even ring her which was only reasonable because I was busy indulging in the fun time I had with Jeff. We took the bus down the road. I was so exhausted that I didn't even realize it when I dozed off. Jeff didn't wake me until we finally reached home. When I opened my eyes, I was leaning against his shoulder. He was nestling his head on mine. Sleeping like a log, we nearly missed our stop. In the end, we came darting out of the vehicle in the clumsiest way. Jeff even dropped his bag on the way down to the ground.

"Stop laughing, will ya?" Jeff pouted, retrieving his bag from the floor.

"Why, Jeff, it's hilarious!" I cackled. "Did you see the expression on that bus driver? You've totally pissed him off!"

"Ugh, not I, it's we who pissed him off." Jeff clarified.

"It was fun though." I said.

"Yea, I've never been this happy in a while."

The street was dark but the sky greeted us with thousands of twinkling stars. They glistened above us, each sparkling in a distinctive, stunning way. I had never thought walking with Jeff under the starry sky would actually make me feel something. A weird feeling caught me when he held my hands. His hand was always warm. He had my whole palm in his. It's like he wouldn't want to let go of me. The question he had asked me earlier on struck me hard. Perhaps…I did feel more secure when he was around. Or worse, it seemed that I was beginning to fancy this bizarre guy.

"Well, see you tomorrow, maybe?" He smiled as we stopped in front of my house.

"Yea, unless Mom is angry and doesn't let me out." I giggled. He chortled and finally released my hand.

"If you can't go out, I'll still come and find you." He said.

At once, I blushed. I didn't know he was so keen on hanging out with me. He definitely saw me flush but he retained that gentle smile on his face.

"Thanks for everything. I've had a…great time today." I said.

"Same here."

With that, I went back into my house. Jeff waited until I completely disappeared from his sight before trotting away.

Mom was really angry at me for coming home so late. Still, none of her harsh words got into my ears. All this time, I could only reminisce about the wonderful time I had had with Jeff. In the end, my rebellious attitude got me grounded, for three whole days! I was angry at first but couldn't protest. Mom even convinced Dad that I was acting out of control. She thought I was turning into a thug or something. Well, as a reminder, I had always been a delinquent, either at school or outside home. Mom just didn't realize that, not when I particularly kept my misbehavior a low profile.

The next day, I was not allowed to leave the house. It wasn't fair at all. I wanted so much to visit the city with Jeff again. The first thing in the morning, I went into a big argument with Mom. I told her I promised Jeff that we would hang around in the town. She refused to let me go though, even after I had pleaded her a thousand times. I stomped back into my room, slamming the door so hard that I almost unhinged it. I was furious. So furious because I couldn't have fun with Jeff. Staying inside my room was simply rubbish. It got so boring that the only thing I could do was to sleep.

At noon, Mom went out to run some errands. I saw my golden opportunity while she was away. Immediately, I texted Jeff and invited him to come over. Within five minutes, he showed up at the doorway. I was beyond thrilled to see him. He was the sole person that could possibly rescue me. He came along with Liu. Together, we dashed upstairs and locked ourselves in my room.

"Hm…Jane, what if Mrs. Woods comes back and sees us?" Liu asked anxiously.

"It's okay. I've locked the door." I said, sitting cross-legged at my computer. "You two can hide under my bed anyway."

"Sounds fun to me." Jeff tittered. "So, what's with your mom?"

"Well, you know, I got home late last night." I rolled my eyes. "She's pissed."

"Oh."

"Liu, don't you have some reading club to attend?" I asked, half-laughing.

"Ugh, I hate it." Liu pouted. "So I quit it yesterday."

The boy clung closer to his brother and smiled. "It's much better to hang out with Jeff."

I raised my brows, completely amazed by Liu's brotherly affection towards Jeff. At one point, he actually got jealous because we had had a fantastic time the previous day. I could hardly believe a teenage boy like him could behave like a 7-years-old kid. Whenever he felt agitated, he would sulk or throw a tantrum. Jeff would always pat on his head and soothe him like a parent.

We didn't really get much to do inside my room except playing online games. When a sudden knock came around, we all jumped in fear. I gestured the two boys to slip under my bed. After they finally settled down, I opened the door.

"Hi, Jane, I was thinking you might want to make the best of you remaining holidays." Mom said. "If you do really want to go out, you can but on one condition- Please come home before nine, okay?"

I blinked at Mom, surprised and elated at the same time. _Seriously? She would let me go that easily? Wow…Why would I say 'no'? _

"Of course!" I clapped my hands in ecstasy. Mom grinned and walked off.

In a flash, I shut the door and the boys crawled out.

"Well?" Jeff smiled slyly. "What does the princess want now?"

"Anything is fine. Just get me out of this stuffy hell."

"Does that mean we're going out now?" Liu asked.

"Darn, you're really dense, Liu." Jeff taunted. "Come on, Jane, we'll wait down there."

The two boys climbed out of my window and landed briskly on the ground. I gave them a wave and rushed downstairs.

"Remember, home before nine." Mom reminded.

"Yea, right." I shouted.

Together, the three of us plodded up the hills. I didn't know where we were heading until Jeff told us there was this abandoned farm house he found the other day. I knew there were quite a lot of vacant areas in our neighborhood but I never really bothered to explore in any of those places. The only reason this neighborhood was growing smaller was because more people were moving into the city. Most population, just like me, was getting really fed up with this village life. There was practically nothing extraordinary here. It would be nice if someone aimed for a steady life. Don't expect any economic opportunities and real prospect though. Peace and calmness there was, but nothing else.

I didn't notice we were straying farther away from the majority of the residence. I was surprised someone had built a country cottage up on the hills! Well…the walk was seriously exhausting and inconvenient. Still, it was Jeff's idea to come to this old, empty barn. I supposed he had something in mind.

"Does anybody live here?" Liu asked.

Sometimes, I had such tendency to smack him. This cute, little boy, not that he was any younger than Jeff and I, was always blurting out unprocessed, naïve questions. It was more than obvious this land was uninhibited.

Strangely, Jeff, who was usually rudely candid, always showed a loving side towards his brother. I had no idea where he had got all this patience replying to Liu's silly questions. I guessed…they were just compatible in some way, even more than Jeff and I despite the fact that we shared common interest.

We stood dumbly in front of the barn. The wind on the hills was strong enough to tangle my hair. I squinted, hardly capable of opening my eyes wide.

"What're we doing here?" I asked.

"Come on in." Jeff said and led us into the barn. I must admit, the place was old but it looked cozy and spacious. It's like a secret base kids would hide in. That seemed to be what Jeff was thinking too.

"I don't like people getting into my space. Do you have that feeling too, Jane?" Jeff muttered to me. Furrowing my brows, I tried to comprehend his utterance. I presumed he was speaking of privacy.

"Sometimes. Like when Mom barges into my room when I'm watching one of those horror movies." I said.

"Yea, that is." Jeff nodded. "City is good but there are too many annoying dumbasses. Home isn't a good choice either. Mom is always bugging me. I figured we need somewhere special to hang around."

"You mean…here? UP ON THIS HILL?" I blinked incredulously at Jeff, who was scanning around the barn with a contented smile.

"Yup. I like it here. It's quiet. So quiet that you almost feel dead."

"D-Dead?" Liu trembled and sneaked behind Jeff. "Did someone die in this place before?"

"Ugh, Liu, what Jeff means is that this place is drop dead silent." I rolled my eyes and explained. "I don't think anyone has died here. I'm not sure though. The owner just some sort of disappeared. Perhaps he's moved into the town with others."

"We can do our own things here." Jeff said, hopping up onto a wooden table.

"Such as?"

"These."

Swiftly, Jeff slid his hands into his pockets and pulled out a stack of cards. He picked up a few and juggled them playfully. Curiously, I stepped forward and took a closer look at his collection. Immediately, I squealed in excitement. I totally, absolutely couldn't believe Jeff actually kept something as marvelous as games cards. All those characters appearing on the cards were none other than historical or imaginary serial killers, something we loved in our violent video games. It doesn't matter where he got this cool stuff but I loved it. _Loving every bit of it._

"Oh my, oh my god!" I exclaimed, running my hands over his precious collection.

"Meh, I've had a hard time trying to keep these away from Mom." Jeff grumbled.

"Hehee, I know that." Liu giggled, climbing up next to Jeff.

"Wow, I just…don't know what to say." I shook my head fervently, utterly captivated by Jeff's awesomeness. Man, this dude was just…wonderful! He had got everything I loved most in my life.

"Great, this will be our hiding place then." I sneered. "Oh! I just think we can keep all our loot here as well!"

"Sure, that would do the trick." Jeff laughed softly. "In fact, back then, most of the games Mom threw away were actually stolen from the game store."

_Damn, no wonder he didn't look at all shocked when Margaret got rid of his 'treasures'._

"We can always get what we want, right, Jane?" The evil boy winked at me.

_Of course, anything we wanted._

We were, after all, craving for the very same thing. _The same fun. The same enjoyment of life._

"Let's do this together." Jeff bounced back onto the ground. He lumbered to one corner and grabbed a paint sprayer. It must have been left over together with the barn. Jeff blew off the dust on the sprayer and shook it several times.

"Not sure if it still works but we'll give it a shot." Jeff sniggered. At once, he marched towards the wall and started spraying colorful prints all over it.

There it wrote.

_Hellish Paradise_

It was a name we based off of a bloody game we had once played.

And we all signed our names underneath it.


	6. Starry Confessions

***A.N* Finally, something is going on between Jeff and Jane! :P Let's see what surprises Jeff has prepared to charm Jane :3 After all, they are quite compatible lol. I'm sure they are destined for one another xD And Liu…hmm…I wonder if I should make him less silly. But his innocence is what makes him adorable :S I'm kinda having a writer's block right now and I've sort of lost certain interest in this story (that explains my inconsistent updates). I really wonder if I should continue it or not...ay...Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Not sure if I'm going to update soon :') Sorry to have kept you all waiting.**

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"Jane…Jane."

My eyes twitched as Jeff shook my shoulders repeatedly. Reluctantly, I sat up and yawned. I couldn't believe I had actually dozed off in the barn.

"Where's Liu?" I inquired, rubbing my half-open lids.

"He's gone home." Jeff said. "Aren't you supposed to be home by nine?"

"Oh shit, what time is it now?"

"Six." Jeff laughed and checked his watch. "You were snoring."

"Seriously?"

"Yea." Jeff stood up and grinned. "I wanna show you something before we head home."

"Okay."

I followed Jeff out of the barn. It was getting dark but the sight was still clear. We lurked behind some bushes and from inside the hedges, Jeff found a hidden, unsullied track that led all the way into the woods. I was totally clueless what he was planning to do inside the forest but I kept in mind it would yet be another surprise. He always surprised me with unimaginably overwhelming stuff.

We sauntered along two trim lines of trees and ventured deeper into the forest. Neither of us spoke. I was far too busy scanning through the environment. I had never wandered into the woods before, probably because it was sort of creepy to go alone. Plus, I had heard a thousand times before there were poisonous snakes and unfriendly foxes. I would be fine with squirrels but wolves? Nah, I had better flee before it got dark completely.

"Hm…Jeff? What're we d-doing here?" I asked, growing a bit worried. I didn't like the rustling of the wind. Let alone the eerie chirping of birds and the howling of unknown creatures. I tugged the edge of Jeff's shirt, snuggling behind him. I was, in fact, scared of the dark in wilderness.

"What? Are you afraid?" Jeff smirked, stroking my hair. I wouldn't admit my inferiority so I didn't nod. I merely looked away as he continued staring at me with his glittering hazel orbs.

"We're here anyway." Jeff said, pointing up to a thick branch on a massive tree. I blinked inquisitively at the branch and then glanced at Jeff.

"What?"

"Come up here." Before I could utter another word, Jeff grasped my wrist and hauled me up. I had no choice but climb the tree with him. Honestly, I wasn't so good at sports. I hated climbing up a tree but Jeff's arms were unexpectedly strong. With his grip, I didn't feel like tripping and falling back to the ground at all. He got me onto the branch safely. I was glad the branch could stand both of our weight. It was really huge by the way.

Jeff crawled closer to the end of the branch.

"Look out." I yapped nervously. He gestured me to follow him. Ugh, I really didn't want to fall from three meters of height. I tentatively did as instructed.

"Cling closer to me, Jane." Jeff hissed. The second I reached beside him, I gasped. There, located near the rim of the branch, was none other than a big nest, occupied by three little birds and four eggs. The mother seemed absent. Those tiny birds were squealing and flapping their wings. And those eggs…they looked so fragile that for a moment I thought they might break when the breeze came.

"Wow…" I gulped, caught in utter amazement. I had never in my whole life seen something as refreshing and remarkable as this. Sure, they had these in biology class. We did pay a visit to some country park but zooming in to look at the real details of a nest was certainly something new to me. It somehow soothed me.

"Do you like it?" Jeff giggled. "I think these eggs will hatch in a few days. And these babies will soon learn to fly."

"Jeff, how did you find this?" I asked.

"Oh, I came here sveral days ago. You know, when Mom tossed away all my games and I was feeling down for a while, I lingered around the neighborhood and discovered the woods on this mountain. It's quiet here in daytime."

"Don't you think there are some crazy animals lurking about?" I asked in concern. "I've heard-"

"Oh Jane, don't ruin this beautiful atmosphere." Jeff shushed me. "It's okay as long as we don't bump into one."

"What if we do?"

"Phew, you're a real worrisome one, aren't you?" Jeff rolled his eyes. "I'll manhandle whatever that scares you, satisfied?"

"How can you beat a wolf?"

"Geez, there ain't wolves here. Foxes at most."

"They bite."

"Jane, one more word and I'm going to bite you for sure." Jeff taunted.

"Errrr, I just wanna make sure it's safe." I pouted.

"I thought you feel secure when you're with me."

I blushed at once. Did I really say that? Gosh, I did! Damn, the boy always got me lost in words, in particular during an argument with him. He never let me win! At some point, he would start striking my weakness and embarrassing me just to shut me up.

"Ouch! What's that for?" Jeff groaned as I pinched his arm.

"Because." I snorted and climbed back down the tree.

"You're a meanie, Jane!" He grunted, landing next to me.

"So? You're a dummy." I retorted.

"Fine, and I'm not going to show you any more of my treasures." Jeff said, folding his arms vainly.

"What? You have more awesome things to show me?"

"Yea." Jeff bit his lips and walked off.

"Wait!" Unable to suppress my curiosity, I finally succumbed to this pampered boy's tricks. "Show me."

"Beg me." He winked.

"Shut up!" I gave him a small punch on the chest. "If you don't show this special thing to me, I'm gonna-"

"Gonna what?" Jeff cocked his brows and tittered.

"I'm gonna….errrrr…rip you apart!" I snarled.

"How?"

"I-" I clenched my fists, completely furious. This boy was so relentless. So difficult to tackle. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Oh, can you?" Jeff chuckled, pulling me closer to him. I glared at my bully, my brows furrowed together just to reveal my discontentment.

"I said, you're cute when you're angry." He muttered. Such sarcastic compliment didn't actually smoother my anger but somehow it made me flush again. Damn, I hated blushing in front of Jeff. He must think I was harboring some feelings towards him. Was I?

Jeff strode towards some shrubs and squatted down. He pulled out something from his pockets which I came to notice were some canned fish. I watched him open the tin and clap his hands. Within seconds, two cats…oh my god, two cats actually hopped out from nowhere and bounced onto Jeff. I gazed with my eyes wide open. I didn't realize there were stray cats in the woods! Not to mention they were real cuties.

"Jeff?! How did they-"

"Someone must have abandoned them." Jeff said grimly, ruffling the fur of one cat. "Poor things they are. Aren't they cute? Oh, when they're irate, they look just like you."

"Give me a break, Jeff!" I snapped but couldn't help crouch beside him. I ran my fingers on the other kitten. This one was grey in color, seemingly smaller in size compared to the black one Jeff was cradling in his hands.

"I love feeding them." Jeff said. "They look really thin and hungry all the time."

"Yea, bones everywhere." I said, fondling the kitten gently, tracing my hands over its skinny body.

"So I've decided to help them gain some pounds." Jeff snickered. "Maybe I should help you too."

"No, thanks." I stuck out my tongue. _As if I was really that scrawny!_

If there was something I didn't know, it was Jeff's craze for animals. I was completely mesmerized by the way he treated these small creatures in the woods. He showed me birds, kittens, lizards, frogs, squirrels and even beavers. There was really much to explore inside the forest. This land was so unfathomably beautiful that I wished I could come around every day. Jeff noticed my reaction so he promised to bring me here regularly. Of course, without him, nothing would look as much fun as it was. If it hadn't been him, I wouldn't have found out so many great things. What a magician he was, never failing to make me adore him in some way.

"We'll get you home in a minute." Jeff peeped at his watch and said. "Do you wanna come here tomorrow?"

"Yes, sure." I smiled.

"Cool." Jeff grinned back.

School was starting in a week's time but I couldn't care less. I was enjoying every moment I spent with Jeff. His awesomeness and unpredictability made me like him more with each passing day. The best gift he had ever granted me was all these pleasant surprises he had in store for me. Before I knew it, I supposed I was in love with him. I had never fancied someone so wholeheartedly before. He just…made me feel special. If he hadn't come along, I would have been rotting at home for the rest of my long summer vacation.

One night, Jeff tapped against my window at ten o'clock. I didn't believe it at first, thinking I must be seeing things. When I stepped closer to the window, I could see Jeff's face clearly. He was waving at me with an endearing smile. I unlocked the window and let him in.

"Well, what're you doing at my house this late?" I asked.

"Jane, are your parents sleeping yet?" He asked.

I shrugged and went to their room to check on them, quite pleased to see them fast asleep.

"Yea, they've got work to do tomorrow." I sneaked back into my own room and informed.

"Good." Jeff smiled joyously and took my hand. Puzzled, I ogled him with a frown. "What're you doing?"

"I want to show you something. Do you think you can slip away for an hour or two?" Jeff said.

I contemplated for a while before nodding. "Should be fine."

After all, I wouldn't want to miss any of Jeff's surprises. I closed the door and switched off the lights. I even stuffed my teddy bear in my place to pretend it was me in bed just in case Mom came peeking in. When everything was ready, I leapt out of my window with Jeff.

We went up the hills and got into the forest. It was intimidating to stray in the woods at night but with Jeff around me, all my worries drained away. I knew he would protect me if there was any danger. I still remembered how he saved me from being hit by a truck outside the store when we first met.

"Jane, close your eyes." Jeff said.

"What?"

"Close your eyes." He urged, gently placing his hands over my eyes. Clumsily, we continued stumbling forwards until Jeff halted. "You can open them now. And please, look upwards." He whispered into my ears, his voice ever so soft and sweet.

I opened my eyes and perked up. Immediately, I was driven away to a golden realm of stars. The sky was striking. I couldn't have seen more stars before. We were standing in a barren area somewhere in the middle of the forest. Everything lay bare in sight. All those bright stars glistened in a stunning way. The sky was so wide and big that it was actually embracing the land. Embracing us.

Jeff found an empty spot and lay down, hands under his head. Facing upwards, he silently admired the starry heaven.

I lay down next to him. Being surrounded by billions of twinkling stars really melted my heart. It's like one of those lullabies where they sang to kids about blissful stuff. I guessed this was what it meant to be floating in a dreamland, encountering a prince charming and opting for a 'happily ever after' in life.

Some time later, I drifted off to my own beautiful dreams. I was woken by a soft touch on my lips though. I opened my eyes and stared straight into Jeff's. He withdrew from me hastily, flushing with guilt. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." I chortled, wrapping my arms around him and pressing my lips against his. He flinched a little but soon hugged me back.

It was the first time I ever kissed someone so passionately, right under the sparkling eyes of stars. I couldn't describe the feeling rushing in my heart. Jeff's lips felt so warm and smooth. His eyes were gorgeous. His arms were strong. Leaning against his chest, I could almost hear every beat of his heart.

"Jane…er…I…" Jeff stammered. It was rare to see him slur in his speech. He seemed to be fidgeting pretty badly. I sniggered. "It's fine. What do you wanna say?"

"Like do you wanna go out with me?" Jeff said bluntly.

I raised my brows, rather dumbfounded. Even his boldness was surprisingly powerful. It always had this immense capability to daze me. I couldn't find a reason to decline his love. I was, after all, feeling the same for him. I would want someone to see the starry sky with me every night. I would want someone to share my happiness and do all sort of silly, crazy things with me every day. I would want someone to love me of whom I really was- of this rebellious, problematic, vulgar girl I was being and had always been. If Jeff could take in every disturbing streak of mine, I saw no point of rejecting him. He was my soulmate. My ultimate alter-ego.

"I thought someone said earlier about how being my boyfriend is a pain in the neck, a pitiful ordeal in this human world." I teased.

Jeff widened his eyes and sneered. "Well, just in case some poor jerk runs into you, I'm going to keep you first. What do you say?"

"One word, three letters, Jeff." I said. "Y-E-S!"

At once, his lips curved into the biggest grin I had ever seen. Filled with ecstasy, he cuddled me. The feeling was incredibly peculiar. Being confessed by a boy in such a scenery had to be mind-blowing. But the truth lay beneath my heart.

"I love you, Jane." Jeff purred. "From the moment I first saw you, I already knew you were different. You know what. I've always thought you're attractive. So damn attractive."

"Same for you, Jeff." I laughed. "I've never seen a jerk so attractive like you. Love you too, silly."

With that, we kissed again.

_How I wished our lips never had to part._

_How I wished this moment could forever last._

If only we had seen what was coming afterwards, we wouldn't have ended up the way we were…right now.


End file.
